In 2011, a neurologist told me I couldn’t lift weights. He said it would make my condition worse.
I inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, which causes progressive weakness and nerve degeneration below the elbow and knee.
At 28, I had quit my job as a writer because of debilitating tendinitis in my hands. I couldn’t walk even a few steps without shooting pain in my knee. I had stopped activities I love: cooking, gardening, walking. I felt helpless and hopeless.
I found Aaron in 2015, through a recommendation from my physical therapist. I was the weakest I had ever been. I couldn’t even lunge without support, and my upper body was incredibly weak from years of inactivity. I set one goal with Aaron: “I don’t want to hurt myself.” My neurologist’s warning echoed in my head.
After nearly four years of working with Aaron, I am the strongest I have ever been, and stronger than I ever imagined I could be. This is thanks to Aaron’s carefully designed workouts that meet me where I’m at, and to the PRI exercises he prescribes. (Do your correctives – they work!)
At 38, I have my life back. I cook, I garden, I walk my dog daily and I’m a working writer again. Don’t get me wrong — I still have pain, I still have physical limits. I’ll never run or do a complete functional squat. But I have regained control over my body and my life.